Spring has begun, even where I live:
Someone left the cake out in the rain: MacArthur Park and Jimmy Webb
A recent cleanup of LA’s horrific MacArthur Park — complete with cameras, city hall bigwigs and an Instagram victory lap — is already looking like a social media publicity stunt just one week after completion. …
Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez posted a video on Instagram touting what she described as a major cleanup effort at the troubled park Sunday March 1. The clip shows Hernandez, as well as Mayor Karen Bass and a lineup of what the councilwoman called the city’s “city family,” as officials celebrated the effort to spruce up the long-troubled space. …
But when The Post returned to MacArthur Park a week later to see how long the progress lasted, the reality on the ground told a very different story.
Trash was scattered across the park again. Encampment debris had crept back in. Drug waste littered the ground.
And all the sweet green icing flowing down.
Jimmy Webb wrote the lyrics to that song in 1967. Sounds like the park was in better shape back then. But someone really did leave a cake out in the rain:
When asked by interviewer Terry Gross what was going through his mind when he wrote the song’s lyrics, Webb replied that it was meant to be symbolic and referred to the end of a love affair. In an interview with Newsday in October 2014, Webb explained:
“Everything in the song was visible. There’s nothing in it that’s fabricated. The old men playing checkers by the trees, the cake that was left out in the rain, all of the things that are talked about in the song are things I actually saw. And so it’s a kind of musical collage of this whole love affair that kind of went down in MacArthur Park. … Back then, I was kind of like an emotional machine, like whatever was going on inside me would bubble out of the piano and onto paper.”
The words to the song always struck me as odd and just plain silly. But I guess you had to be there.
Jimmy Webb wrote the lyrics to a lot of other popular songs, among them “Up, Up and Away”, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”, “Wichita Lineman”, “Worst That Could Happen”, “Galveston”, and “All I Know”. Note the prevalence of place names.
I find this moving:
Following the death of his mother, Sylvia, in 1964, his father made plans to return to Oklahoma. Webb decided to stay in California to continue his music studies and to pursue a career as a songwriter in Los Angeles. He would later recall his father warning him about his musical aspirations, saying that “This songwriting thing is going to break your heart.” Seeing that his son was determined, however, he gave him $40, saying “It’s not much, but it’s all I have.”
It turned out to have been a pretty good investment after all.
Roundup
(1) They’re debating the SAVE Act in the Senate. Your guess is as good as mine (maybe better) on what will ultimately happen.
(2) Don Lemon makes a ridiculous, and typically leftist, comparison and moral equivalence: the Iranian regime killing up to 30,000 protesters and the death of Good and Pretti in the US. Is he knave or fool? Both.
(3) In case you’re interested in the sort of m.o. Tucker Carlson uses to make his “points,” I think this is an excellent example He ultimately befuddles the questioner with completely disingenuous pretense. She should instead have called out his game (process) each time, rather than concentrating on his content (much of which was also false and/or purposely misleading) The clip is only three and a half minutes long, and it also demonstrates some of his favorite tricks that are lampooned by comedians and Tucker impressionists such as Ami Kozak, whose videos I’ve sometimes embedded on this blog. You even get a brief moment of the maniacal laugh. And by the way, please recall that “Zionist” is one of Carlson’s favorite epithets:
(4) Brendan O’Neill asks a question I’ve been wondering about: how is it that Joe Kent got his position in the Trump administration in the first place? My answer is that I think they were taking Carlson’s recommendation during the transition to Trump’s second term, when Carlson was still in favor and hadn’t yet gone completely over to the dark side.
I think O’Neill is wrong in that he calls the Carlson wing MAGA. They are not, although they once were – or pretended to be. For example, even before Carlson was let go by Fox, he had written private messages saying he hated Trump.
(5) On the damage the COVID lockdowns did, and still continue to do, in Britain. The US is not far behind.
The Iran regime seems intent on proving just how evil it is
I say “regime” because it’s not clear any single person is in charge. I have read that Khamenei had decentralized the IRGC and left general instructions in the event the leadership was offed, and they are carrying out those instructions plus some improvisation.
A wounded animal can be very dangerous, and the regime is a very wounded animal. It would like to wreak havoc with oil prices, for example, knowing it will hurt the West and the Gulf States, although it will also hurt some of its previous benefactors. It would like to let its people know “we can still torture and kill you if you oppose us,” and so it has performed a public hanging:
Like a trapped animal, Iran is lashing out, executing teenagers in public for “waging war against God” to terrify its restive people, and bombing its neighbors to convince them to push the United States and Israel to end the war.
These are not the actions of a sane, confident government; it’s yet more proof of its utter desperation.
Torturing, then publicly hanging, Saleh Mohammadi, a 19-year-old wrestling champ, and executing two others is how the regime is now resorting to open savagery to retain power, should any brave Iranian civilians consider taking to the streets.
In addition, Iran has struck at a combined US/British base (Diego Garcia) located over two thousand miles away, demonstrating not only its destructive nature but that it was working on the capability to strike at a great distance, thus further justifying (not that further justification was needed) the US/Israeli attack on the Iranian regime and its weaponry:
Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-U.K. military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean, according to multiple U.S. officials. One of the missiles failed in flight, and a U.S. warship fired an SM-3 interceptor at the other, according to two of the people. It couldn’t be determined if an interception was made, according to one of the officials.
Nothing was damaged, but the intent was there, and the distance was impressive.
I am fairly certain that all of this has the goal not only of engendering fear that the war is going badly and the regime is firmly in control, but also of giving fodder to the MSM in the US and other countries to report that the war is a mess, endless, impossible to win, a mistake, and Trump’s folly. The MSM (and Democrats) have been only too happy to oblige, right from the start.
It makes me think somewhat of the Tet offensive in Vietnam, which was a failure for the North militarily but which the MSM reported as a victory for them. I’ve written about that several times, for example in this post (some of the links there are dead) and this one, so I won’t revisit it in any detail now.
The mullahs and their confederates would actually prefer to wreak havoc in the world. It’s not just that they don’t mind it, it’s that it conforms to their end-times Twelver philosophy:
… [M]any Shi’ites are convinced that only a world conflagration will prompt the return of the Hidden Imam. For this reason, many Shi’ites embrace war, conflict and turmoil as they believe such events will hasten the return of the Mahdi. Shi’ite eschatology believes that when the situation is bleakest and almost all hope is lost, the Twelfth Imam, Mohammed Al-Mahdi will return. He will miraculously defeat God’s enemies and usher in a new era of peace. In fact, this branch of Islam reveres martyrdom and believes the worse conditions become, the more likely the Mahdi is to return.
I was thinking today of George W. Bush’s phrase “the axis of evil.” I recalled that two of the countries he mentioned were Iraq and North Korea. Was the third Iran? I couldn’t recall – but indeed it was.
Robert Mueller dead at 81
Robert Mueller has died.
I have come to believe that he was already in cognitive and physical decline during the time he was head of the investigation into Trump, and that others were really in charge and used him as a figurehead. I’ve written about that before; one example is this post.
So I’ll just say RIP.
Open thread 3/21/2026
Is cigarette smoking making a comeback?
I certainly hope not.
It seems it’s not a big comeback. But maybe a little bit:
“I’ve definitely seen an uptick in singles describing themselves as ‘sometimes’ smokers — not pack-a-day smokers, but occasional, where it’s tied to nightlife, travel, aesthetic and intimacy,” Ashleigh Rodosta, a Gotham-based matchmaker and relationship coach, told The Post. “The post-sex cigarette is also making a comeback.” …
“What’s ironic is that many of these same people are otherwise intensely wellness-oriented — cold plunges, peptides, clean eating, the whole thing,” she continued. “So cigarettes are showing up less as a real lifestyle and more as an occasional indulgence tied to image, mood and social setting.”
I have to say that, back when smoking was far more popular, it often was indeed “tied to image, mood, and social setting.”
I smoked cigarettes during my first two years of college and then never again. My smoking was very situational: to look cool, or because I was bored. Or both. I smoked while sitting around with friends in the cafeteria after meals, in boring lecture classes, while writing term papers, and at parties. I never inhaled because I actually hated that. But I was a whiz at blowing smoke rings.
[NOTE: I’m taking a day-long break from writing about the Iran war.]
MeToo has come for Cesar Chavez, rather late in the game
Chavez used to be the darling of the left, back when I was in law school. Now he’s apparently a pariah after being accused – long after his death – of having sexually abused young girls many years ago:
The public shaming over that leftist labor hero, the late United Farm Workers Union co-founder César Chávez, has continued apace as detestable allegations of child sexual abuse and even rape have been making the rounds following a New York Times exposé published on Wednesday.
The accusations by his former ally, Dolores Huerta, are horrific and have caused celebrations of the planned March 31st “César Chávez Day” in multiple states to be altered or canceled outright.
I admit to being somewhat puzzled as to why this is being revealed now. Whether it’s true or not is unknown and will almost certainly never be known, but if I had to guess I’d say it’s probably true. Even though one might have thought these women would have come out with their stories back when MeToo had its heyday, the delay can be at least partly explained by Chavez’s longtime status as leftist icon. Who wants to point out his feet of clay?
I’ve read several people on the right who said that Chavez’s cancellation comes now because of his history of being against illegal immigration. That’s his real crime against the left of today, and the reason he’s being exposed. I think that’s as good an explanation as any and probably better than most. But it’s not as though his anti-illegals position has been a secret all this time. From 2015:
For every positive image of Chavez, though, there’s another one that paints a different picture, as Miriam Pawel brings to light in her meticulously researched, NEH-funded biography, The Crusades of Cesar Chavez. The union organizer was vehemently opposed to undocumented immigrant workers, looked with disdain upon the material comforts his own union members yearned for, and slipped into despotic isolation at his California mountain compound, La Paz, purging the UFW of many of his closest friends, allies, and mentors.
Well, now they’re purging him.
Mamdani delivered a St. Patrick’s Day message – about the Palestinians
Of course he did (my emphasis):
“Who can better understand those who weep than those who have been made to weep for so long?” asked Mamdani, referencing his view of the Irish experience in America and comparing it to the plight of the Palestinians.
“The story of the Irish, both in Ireland and in New York City, is at one time a story of oppression, of subjugation, and of discrimination,” the mayor told attendees at the traditional St. Patrick’s Day breakfast at Gracie Mansion.
The special guest of the Mayor at the breakfast was Mary Robinson, former Irish president and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. “Her solidarity is many things: unwavering, sincere, and chief among them Irish,” gushed Mamdani. …
“I say this as over the past few years, as we’ve witnessed a genocide unfold before our eyes, there has been deafening silence from so many,” Mamdani said. “For those who have long cared about universal human rights and the extension of them to Palestinians, silence, however, is nothing new – for Palestinians are so often left to weep alone. Yet former President Robinson has never been silent.”
Robinson has been one of the most controversial High Commissioners for Human Rights in recent memory. She is frequently accused of a disproportionate focus on Israel’s actions while remaining relatively “silent” on human rights abuses by other regimes or Palestinian militant groups. Critics argue she often creates a false equivalence between the actions of a democratic state’s military and the tactics of terrorist organizations like Hamas.
Talk about “disproportionate focus on Israel’s actions” – plus distorted lies about them. Mamdani himself fits the description quite well. Among other things – such as his oft-repeated lie that it is Israel committing genocide when in fact it is Israelis who have been the target of Hamas’ desire for genocide against them – do the Palestinians “weep alone”? I don’t think there’s a people on earth with more MSM coverage for their weeping. The Palestinian people are not very good at many things other than hatred and violence, but propaganda is most definitely one of them.
However, Mamdani wasn’t completely out of line mentioning the Palestinians at the St. Patrick’s Day event, because these days Ireland is one of the most anti-Israel countries in the Western world. I wrote a post about it two years ago entitled, “Why Ireland hates Israel.”
And speaking of people who have wept for so long, there’s this:
RIP Chuck Norris
Norris has died at 86. It sounds as though he was quite healthy and active until an extremely recent hospitalization:
Norris, who had just turned 86 earlier this month, is best remembered for his martial arts and action movie roles in the 1980s as well as for his role on the TV show “Walker, Texas Ranger,” which was one of my mother’s favorite shows. He served in the Air Force, which was where he learned karate and became a karate teacher. That’s how he met people like Steve McQueen, who encouraged him to get into the movies. He had a critical role in Bruce Lee’s “Way of the Dragon,” and his career was off and running.
I confess that Norris’ films and TV work weren’t the genre I generally watch, and so I’m not really familiar with him although I certainly knew who he was. But I thought I’d put up this thread for those of you who were fans of his – he certainly had many.
RIP.
Open thread 3/20/2026
Joe Kent casts his lot with the Carlson/Owens wing of …
… of some group or other. I don’t know exactly what to call them, because they’re certainly not conservative. “Far right” indicates they actually are on the right, and I think they really merit their own designation because the actual right disowns them (rightly). We could call them neo-Nazis, but they don’t have the tattoos or other regalia.
At any rate, Joe Kent, who’s enjoying his fifteen minutes of fame, appeared on Carlson’s show yesterday. That’s no surprise; he’s been allied with Carlson for years and appeared on his show as early as the Fox News days (see this).
Some tidbits from the interview; it’s astounding this guy was in US government intelligence till just the other day. And I bet he’s not alone in these sentiments:
After resigning this week over what he said was Israel’s manipulation of President Donald Trump into war with Iran, former national counterterrorism director Joe Kent is now insinuating Israel may have also killed Charlie Kirk as part of its pressure campaign.
Kent made the comments on a Wednesday evening appearance on Tucker Carlson’s podcast, as the FBI launched an investigation into whether Kent shared classified material. He is also scheduled to appear Thursday evening at a “Catholics for Catholics” gala featuring podcaster Candace Owens, who has promulgated antisemitic conspiracy theories and praised Kent.
“When one of President Trump’s closest advisers, who is vocally advocating for us to not go to war with Iran and for us to rethink, at least, our relationship with the Israelis, and then he’s suddenly publicly assassinated and we’re not allowed to ask any questions about that, it’s a data point,” Kent told Carlson about the 2025 murder of the right-wing pundit. “It’s a data point that we need to look into.”
He’s going to be appearing with Owens, too, which makes perfect sense considering his views.
Carlson has also taken it upon himself to defend the British Fascist Oswald Moseley. I think one of the things he’s doing is exploiting the historical ignorance of the young.
Lastly, I wonder – with zero evidence, so this is truly just a thought – whether the investigation of Kent for leaking (an investigation which started prior to his resignation) has to do with leaking information to Carlson or Owens or both.